Thursday, July 28, 2016

It's official! The Philippines will host the next Miss Universe pageant, said the Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo this Thursday.

It will be held on January 30, 2017. Teo said that the Department of Tourism (DoT) is considering holding the pageant in the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

Teo said President Rodrigo Duterte requested organizers to hold the auxiliary events outside Metro Manila to avoid causing more traffic. Some of the provinces being eyed are Boracay, Palawan, Cebu, Davao, Cagayan de Oro, and Vigan.

Duterte was previously said in a report that he will not spend money to host Miss Universe. "Dili ko mugasto," he was quoted saying. Teo said hosting the pageant will cost about $11 million, but the government “is not going to spend a single centavo.” “It will be the private sector that will shoulder the expenses," she said.